keskiviikko 19. elokuuta 2015

Spideys and Grots

I had a game last night, playing against Orruks & Grots with my Empire. What a blast!
We both had about 70 or so models on the table and the game took quite long as the O&G player wasn't that familiar with AoS rules yet. We had to cut the game short as time ran out (we were playing at our local club) so not all of our units ever made it into combat.

To pick a few combats from our game, I'd like to start with the peculiar fight of 10 Spider Riders against my 8 Imperial Knights...
Two words are enough to describe it: Spider Venom!
I moved my Knights closer to the enemy for a charge in the next turn. Spideys came to meet me, only to stop eight inches away and start peppering my knights with arrows. I was like "Two attacks per bow?! C'mon they're only Gobbos after all!" until my opponent showed me the hit and wound values. Let's just say I was content after seeing them :D Arrows bounced harmlessly of my Knights' impressive armours and I was ready to wreak havoc on those Grots in the next turn!
...Except that turn never came. After rolling for the Battle Round, my opponent got to go first so he got another turn of free shooting on my knights. Luckily to no effect. When I finally landed the charge with my knights, I was shocked! There was another combat going on on the board (Griffon vs Night Goblins, more on that later) and I chose to resolve my hits there first. When my opponent then chose to hit with the Spideys, I wasn't conserned... Until those Spider's Fang attacks!!!
Rider Grots got in 1 damage, but those cursed eight-legged bugs have 2 attacks each and they hit better than their riders! Also, each 6 they roll when rolling to hit becomes a Mortal Wound. That gave quite a punch for my Knights >.< When all their attacks had been resolved I got four Knights lying dead at my feet.
I got back at them by taking out 3 Spideys, but little good it did me anymore. With a Bravery value of 6 I of course rolled a 5 and got three more knights running for their mamas. Four Spider Riders also deserted but the odds were still against my lonely Knight Champion.

Forest Goblin Spider Riders are a really really nasty and tricksy unit, their Spider Fang attacks being numerous and able to cause mortal wounds on 6's. Their Spider-Bows can be a real nuisance, especially if you target a unit that has a small Save value. Wall-Crawlers is not such a great ability anymore as terrain hardly slows down anyone these days (but hey, their movement and running are still great!).
Good unit for sneaking up a flank and taking down enemy ranged units with arrow fire. Saves are not that great but their 2 Wounds make up for that, so not an easy prey for enemy light troops. As was proven above, Spider Riders are also able to pin down a heavier enemy unit for a few turns if need be, although units with heavy Damage output will cut through them swiftly. Units like Imperial Knights (i.e. better at Saves&Wounds rather than Damage) are a good target though, so go for them!

The other fight I'd like to pick for closer inspection is the Empire General on Griffon against 35 Night Goblins. The Goblins charged in, feeling protected by their double Mystic Shield (yes, my opponents had many many Shamans) and Inspiring Presence. Three Damage they got in past my Griffon's Saves, but that was it. On the first combat round the Griffon killed 7 Grots, and 11 on the next. Imagine the number of deserting Grots had they not been preserved from Battleshock by the Inspiring Presence. All this my Griffon did while being under the effects of enemy Netters (-1 to hit). Never. Mess. Up. With. A. Fluffin'. Griffon.

The game ended up in a victory for my Empire but as we had to quit a bit too early I suppose it doesn't really count :) A nice army to fight against, these Orruks & Grots, I'm looking forward to meeting more of their units on the field!

To mention a couple of very nice-looking units from O&G army, I'd like to play against Black Orcs and Trolls. Borcs having decent Saves, Greatsword-equivalent Weapons and two(2!) Wounds, look like a really tough unit to hack through. Trolls with their 4 Wounds, Regeneration and "Too Dumb To Die!" -abilities seem like dangerous foes. Wouldn't like to get in the way of their Noxious Vomits! In addition to projecting these disgusting attacks on targets at near range, they're a nasty addition to their melee attacks in combat, too.

I've got no progression pics for you this time, but enjoy this depiction of me and my opponent after the match:

A long-time Warhammer fan who got into the hobby somewhere in the early years of the 21st century. Currently has 10 different armies with hundreds of models in total. Loved Warhammer Fantasy Battles. Loves Age of Sigmar even more. Feel free to email me if you have any ideas, requests, feedback, suggestions or you just want to say hi:
extrabushybeards@gmail.com